Latinos in the 2010 Elections: Indiana

Fact Sheet

This statistical profile provides key demographic information of Latino eligible voters in Indiana.1 It also contains data on other major groups of eligible voters in Indiana.2 All data are based on Pew Hispanic Center tabulations of the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey.3

Hispanics in Indiana’s Eligible Voter Population

The Hispanic population in Indiana is the 22nd-largest in the nation. Some 322,000 Hispanics reside in Indiana.

The population in Indiana is 5% Hispanic, the 32nd-highest Hispanic population share nationally.

There are 116,000 eligible Hispanic voters in Indiana—the 21st-largest Hispanic eligible-voter population nationally. California ranks first with 5.4 million.

Some 2% of eligible voters in Indiana are Latinos, the 32nd-largest Hispanic eligible voter population share nationally. New Mexico ranks first with 38%.

Less than four-in-ten (36%) of Latinos in Indiana are eligible to vote, ranking Indiana 31st nationwide in the share of the Hispanic population that is eligible to vote. In contrast, 77% of the state’s white population is eligible to vote.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters

Age. One-third of Hispanic eligible voters in Indiana (32%) are ages 18 to 29, similar to the share of all Latino eligible voters nationwide (31%) in that age range. By contrast, only 21% of all Indiana eligible voters and 22% of all U.S. eligible voters are ages 18 to 29.

Citizenship. Two-in-ten of Hispanic eligible voters in Indiana (21%) are naturalized U.S. citizens, compared with 2% of all Indiana eligible voters. Hispanic eligible voters in Indiana are more likely to be native-born citizens (79%) than are Hispanic eligible voters nationwide (74%).

Educational Attainment. One-quarter of Latino eligible voters in Indiana (25%) have not completed high school. That was greater than the rate for all eligible voters in Indiana—14%—and the rate for U.S. eligible voters nationwide—13%.

Homeownership. Two-thirds of Hispanic eligible voters in Indiana (67%) live in owner-occupied homes, compared with 60% of all Hispanic eligible voters nationwide. Somewhat greater shares of all eligible voters in Indiana (74%) and all eligible voters nationwide (70%) live in owner-occupied homes.

Characteristics of Eligible Voters in Indiana, by Race and Ethnicity

Number of Latino Eligible Voters. Latino eligible voters are outnumbered by black eligible voters in Indiana by more than 3 to 1—116,000 Latinos to 379,000 million blacks.

Age. Latino eligible voters are younger than black and white eligible voters in Indiana. One-third of Latino eligible voters in Indiana (32%) are ages 18 to 29 compared with 26% of black eligible voters and 21% of white eligible voters.

Educational Attainment. Hispanic eligible voters have lower levels of education than do white and black eligible voters in Indiana. Some 25% of Hispanic eligible voters have not obtained at least a high school diploma compared with 19% of black eligible voters and 13% of white eligible voters.

Homeownership. Hispanic eligible voters in Indiana are less likely than white eligible voters, but more likely than black eligible voters, to live in owner-occupied homes—67% versus 76% and 47%, respectively.

Eligible voters are defined as U.S. citizens ages 18 and older. Eligible voters are not the same as registered voters. To cast a vote, in all states except North Dakota, an eligible voter must first register to vote. ↩

The terms “Hispanic” and “Latino” are used interchangeably. References to “whites,” “blacks,” and “Asians” are to the non-Hispanic components of those populations. ↩

This statistical profile of eligible voters in Indiana is based on the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS is the largest household survey in the United States, with a sample of about 3 million addresses. The data used for this statistical profile come from 2008 ACS Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS), representing a 1% sample of the U.S. population. Like any survey, estimates from the ACS are subject to sampling error and (potentially) measurement error. Information on the ACS sampling strategy and associated error is available at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/accuracy2008.pdf. An example of measurement error is that citizenship rates for the foreign born are estimated to be overstated in the Decennial Census and other official surveys, such as the ACS (see Jeffrey Passel. “Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization,” Pew Hispanic Center, Washington, D.C. (March 28, 2008)). ↩

About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.